Egypt says police kill 5 militants near Cairo

CAIRO – Egypt says police have killed five suspected militants in a shootout just outside Cairo.

The Interior Ministry, which oversees security forces, said police launched a raid against the militants on Monday in el-Obour, just north of the capital. It says another 10 suspects were arrested in follow-up raids nearby and in the northern city of Alexandria.

The statement says the suspects were part of a militant group plotting to attack churches. Rifles and ammunition were found at the scenes of the raids, it added.

Egypt has been struggling to combat an Islamic State-led insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula. IS and other groups have carried out a string of attacks across the country in recent years.